Operation Iraqi Freedom I: A Year in the Sunni Triangle

The 4th Infantry Division (4ID) and Task Force Ironhorse in Iraq - April 2003 to April 2004
by Robert O. Babcock

“Operation Iraqi Freedom I: A Year in the Sunni Triangle” is a 369 page hardback book that includes over 100 pictures from the first year of the war in Iraq and the first deployment of the 4th Infantry Division.  All elements of Task Force Ironhorse are included in the history.

Alerted in January 2003 to attack Iraq through Turkey, the 4ID was frustrated as government indecisions left them sitting in the United States as the war in Iraq began.  When the Turkish plan was cancelled, the 173^rd Airborne Brigade became the first TF Ironhorse Soldiers to enter the battle as they made a night parachute drop into northern Iraq on March 25, 2003.  Within three weeks the remainder of the 4ID and TF Ironhorse was rerouted through Kuwait and attacked into the Sunni Triangle, Saddam Hussein’s home territory.

For the next twelve months, the over 32,000 troops of the 4ID and TF Ironhorse fought in places like Tikrit, Bayji, Samarra, Balad, Taji, Kirkuk, Baqubah, and other names that would become engraved into the long history of the 4ID.  Additionally, the troops focused on rebuilding the infrastructure, schools, highways, electric systems, and helping the Iraqi people overcome the oppression they had lived under. 



MG Raymond Odierno stated in the foreword, “The capture of Saddam Hussein was the most acclaimed accomplishment of the 4th Infantry Division and Task Force Ironhorse in Iraq, but only a small part of the significant endeavors accomplished.  From our historic deployment to our rapid transition into combat and our execution of a campaign plan to simultaneously rebuild Iraq and conduct counter-insurgency operations, this task force set the standard for future operations of the 21st Century.”

Chapters include:

Foreword by MG Raymond Odierno, CG of 4ID and TF Ironhorse;

The Army’s Leading Edge—Force XXI Overview;

Our Proud Heritage—4ID History from 1917 to 2002;

Alert for Iraq; Ready to Go, But Delayed;

Deployed, Finally;

Attack to the Sunni Triangle;

Getting Established, The First Weeks;

Making Our Presence Felt;

A Long Hot Summer;

Continuing the Mission, in Cooler Weather;

“We Got Him!” - the Capture of Saddam Hussein;

Winter in Iraq, and More Missions;

Redeployment, Operation Iraqi Freedom I Comes to an End;

Unit Highlights;

Welcome Home;

Appendices:  TF Ironhorse Organization, Commanders and CSM List, List of Those Killed, Notes on Sources, and Glossary.

Autographed First Edition copies are available now.

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